In today’s world it’s a hardy task navigating etiquette. The rules that once applied to social situations in the 1950s don’t always apply today. Some social expectations from then are unacceptable today. We’ve grown, and that’s a good thing! With that in mind, I’m starting this series of observing etiquette from different decades in order to fully understand what place etiquette has in our lives today. My purpose here is to scour many etiquette sources to find practical guidelines for any vintage-loving modern person.
Today’s guidelines concern social graces, and come from Amy Vanderbilt’s 1952 “Complete Book of Etiquette.”
How to Take a Punch
- Tighten your stomach muscles.
A body blow to the gut (solarplexis) can damage organs and swiftly kill.
Do not suck in your stomach.
Doing so increases the risk of internal injury.
2. When you see it coming, shift slightly so that the blow hits your side, but do not flinch or move away from the punch.
Moving away only gives the punch more momentum. Try to absorb the blow with your obliques: the set of muscles on your side that wraps around your ribs.
3. Develop your personalized version of the H- bomb in the basement while pursuer is at work. Or at his favorite bar.
Drop it on said puncher’s house.